St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-17
SCANDINAVIAN EMIGRATION
An Article on This Subject From
an Eminent AuthOrity


To discuss in detail the original de-
velopment and present contamination of
Scandinavian emigration to the North
west in the space allotted to this article,
appears futile; indeed only some gen.
eral statements can be attempted and
expressed briefly. Scandinavian emf
grafton to our present great Northwest
properly dates back to 1910. Prior to
that time only few venturesome Morse
men had settled west of the Mississippi
or northwest of where st. Paul and
Minneapolis now stand, with a COM
bined population exceeding quarter of
million, of whom approximately So
600 are Norwegians, Swedes or Danes.
The settlement of the Upper Mississippi
valley above Dubuque, Ia, began
about 1910, and between that date
and 1850 the Scandinavian settlements
extended to McGregor and Lansing, Ia,
and La Crosse, Wis. Later on, to
MINI. From 1850 to 1860 the Scandina-
VANS occupied the ST. Croix and Mime
sofa valleys. About 1860 our people
penetrated the Big Woods and set
tied in the Park Region" in Meeker,
Kandiyohi, Pope, Todd, Douglas and
Otter Tail counties. For the past twen-
ty-tive years Scandinavian emigration
has extended throughout the entire
state of Minnesota and the territory of
Dakota, until to-day there is scarcely
county in the Northwest where the
ScandlnavlanS are not numerous. or in
the majority. The direct emigration
from Scandinavia in 1886, was marked
increase of the preceding year, and this
year promises an increase of fully so
per cent. over last. The great induce
ment of the Northwest to our agricul
tural people is the abundance of good
farming lands to be had either free from
| the government or at low prices
from the land grant railroad companies.
| The Scandinavian land hunter from
| Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and
| the Eastern states very naturally turns
to the new Northwest. where he knows
his country people prosper and progress,
| and where no distinction is made be-
tween the foreigner and the native
born. and where the standard by which
every man is measured is honesty of
| purpose, intelligence, ability and success.
Here no chronological lineage is de-
manded, but true merit and ability are
recognized and respected. That the
| ScandinavianS have improved the favor
able opportunities and advantages OF
the Northwest is apparent from their
success in the various pursuits, their
quick adoption of manners and customs
and their social standing among the
! Americans. We have avoided coloniZa-
ton and adopted AUGMENTATION. We
have foreSworn the old and declared
| allegiance to the new order of things.
We strive to become Americans, to foS-
ter. develop and defend the American
ideas, thoughts, teachings and princi-
| pies and i'll every way make ourselves
worthy of the great boon of American
citizenship. To retain and cherish all
that is good and noble inherited from
our ancestors, and to learn and love the
great fundamental doctrines of the land
of our adoption. Eighteen years ago
occurred the first Scandinavian celebra-
ton at st. Paul, in Ingersoll's hall. at
tended by scarcely hundred people, in
Guiding invited guests from MinneapO-
lis, Saltwater, Red Wing, Carver and
Hastings. To-day's jubilee celebration,
by its character and magnitude, at
tracts national attention and demands
special issues of the great metropOl-
itan journal, the GLOBE, to fifty chron-
icle the programme of the celebration
and festival and to give space
to the speeches and Orations
of our foremost and best known
Neutrality-suspicious.. TO-day's 18th
of May jubilee may truly be
considered as idicating a great epoch in
Scandinavian emigration to the North
west, and it is only by looking back a
quarter of century that the marvellous
progress of our people is seen. Those
of us who may live to witness the re-
currcnce of yesterday twenty-five years
hence will, | predict, see relatively
greater improvement mentally and in
tellectually, and observe still greater
assimilation between our Scandinavians
| 10
unquestionably the right field for the
fullest development of the people from
the North, and under the tut0rship OF
our American friends, we may, in time
hope to reach the higher intellectual
standard so fondly wished by the truest
friends of the Scandinavian race.
a. E. JOHNSON.